Need advice after Accident

This is a discussion on Need advice after Accident within Street Experiences, part of the Buckle Up category; To be honest, the damage doesn't look very bad. How about 'LIVE TO DRIVE' and 'Got Bhp?' stickers to cover ...

I am not too sure about the bumper repair services near Ramphal Chowk. There's one behind Air Force Naval Officer's Enclave rear gate. Not too sure of his quality either. KJA is okay but there's a better option. Friend Motors and a fellow called Pappu at GK-2 market. Fellow bhpian Samarth.Bhatia and I swear by him. You may want to contact @mayankk since he has a tucson too and he may be able to guide you.

P.S : I am aware of Hero offices in Vasant Vihar. They are at Priya complex just behind the IOC petrol pump. Not aware of any other offices. You may be able to trace him. If he works in Vasant Vihar then for sure he parks behind the IOC pump where the lane before Mcdonalds leads to parking spaces meant for Hero, ITC and Citibank.

Also on second looks the damage isn't anything major to worry about. Since it is plastic and not paint you shouldn't be bothered much. Stickers will do the job as suggested by the member above or you may want to ask for some responsible fellow near Ramphal Chowk since there are a number of denting/painting shops there.

The only thing i thought could be done was to put an online complaint on the Gurgaon police and Gurgaon traffic police pages on facebook with the picture of the moron's car.

Folks, any suggestions on what options do i have now to get this person to pay-up ?
.

Dear Kamal,

The damage isn't too bad. Your can ignore the marks or choose to stick team bhp stickers over them.

Do you have ample free time to waste your energy on this incident ? Ignore and move on.

File a complaint in the local PS with the car number and photo, just to be on the safe side. You know people in INDIA are very intelligent, the swift wala can also file a complaint against you, so file a complaint to avoid any future hassles.

When : today 10th nov. around 8.30 pm
Where : near kalamboli, just near mac' Donalds after the Mumbai-Pune expressway towards Mumbai side.
How : there was heavy bumper to bumper traffic, as there usually is at this stretch of road on Sunday evenings. On top of that all the road widening happening .. Which causes the traffic to snarl. This Eicher truck which was behind me tried to overtake from the right.... But didn't see the divider and got on to the divider. When he realised, he tried to get back on the road and, I had braked just then ( I was in first gear)... And he. Hit my rear right tail ... Don't know how much damage will be. Managed to get 4000 bucks from the driver, as he realised his mistake. But, I guess will have to pay much more as the bumper and tail lights are not completely covered by insurance. Photos of vehicle ( it's Hyundai Elantra Neo Fluidic) and the truck which hit me.

*Ouch*!! Sir I think the 4k won't suffice. You will have to shell out much more. Even the boot's damaged, right ?
Didn't you ask him to call his owner and talk it out with him ? Or did you just take that 4k and end the matter there ?

Even the boot's damaged, right ? Didn't you ask him to call his owner and talk it out with him ? Or did you just take that 4k and end the matter there ? -Bhargav

I know it won't suffice. Spoke to the owner and got his number too ... Will take this to the garage to check the damage and see what more I can get the owner to compensate. It was late and was with family, so couldn't spend much time haggling over there.

I don't think 4k would be enough. I guess the boot, tail lamp and bumper are damaged. Did you not talk to the owner of the truck or the transport company? Anyway looks bad. But good to know that you and your family are
Safe.

If your boot has an inner skin (as in most sedans), then it could be next to impossible to get that dent out using just a dolly. Check with your dealer if they can do a light weld on the spot and 'pull' out the dent. Otherwise - a new boot!

I know it won't suffice. Spoke to the owner and got his number too ... Will take this to the garage to check the damage and see what more I can get the owner to compensate. It was late and was with family, so couldn't spend much time haggling over there.

Sorry to hear about the damage. I would say you are lucky to get hands on some cash. Not all of the truck drivers are so benevolent nor do they carry such cash on hand. I wish you all the luck is getting the Verna back in its original shape and the truck owner pays the actual damage cost.

Just recalled the incident which I had with my earlier Fiesta when a truck broke the left OVRM and scratched the left front door. The truck driver said he carried only 200 bucks with him and that too for his meals. Couldnt argue much then.

Thanks all. Got the car to the service center and registered insurance claim. The tail ight and the bumper will need to be replaced. Insurance covers 50% so, own liability is around 15K. No damage to the boot or any major body part.
As expected the truck owner refused to cooperate and compensate. Another option would have been to register an FIR and put the claim back to the truck owner's insurance as 3rd party damage. He was ready for that .. but that would mean police verfification, investigation by both insurance parties etc, and a long time for the vehicle to be repaired. So, decided to get this done thru my insurance and whatever little liability I owe.

Thanks again for all your comments and kind words.

Mods: Apologies for one of the posts not having the proper user handle. I was uploading from iPhone, so somehow it got edited incorrectly.

Last edited by sukhoi30 : 11th November 2013 at 14:32.
Reason: add disclaimer.

I guess will have to pay much more as the bumper and tail lights are not completely covered by insurance. Photos of vehicle ( it's Hyundai Elantra Neo Fluidic).

Dear Mate, The damage is majorily to the tail lamp as per the pic and the bumper and boot are damaged from the corner. Claiming an insurance will not help as you will have to pay a huge amount since Bumper and Light are insured at 50% claim provision AFAIK. So just a suggestion, you can find a good body shop in mumbai and get it done there in the amount given by the truck driver. For the light I know a person in Mira Road by the name of AV mods who deals primarily in car lightings so he can help you get a new rear-light at a reasonable price.

I guess it was the law of averages catching up yesterday. After 17-18 years and over 150k kms of accident-free driving, it had to happen and that too for no mistake of mine!

I had just gotten on to the service lane on OMR in Thoraipakkam at about 0815 [Chennai people driving on OMR will be able to picture this better] which is usually packed with pedestrians, office-goers on foot, parked vehicles and vehicles trying to navigate through the maze. I was on my way to work and my daughter was next to me - both of us were belted up. I drop her to scool every morning before heading to work.
I see this school van [Pon Vidyashram, Injambakkam] closing in fast in my rear view mirror. I am doing about 20-25 kmph [obviously you cant go any faster because the lane is crowded and not safe to do so either] and this guy is honking like mad and trying to overtake from my right. Needless to say there is no space available and he is inches from my bumper. Next thing I know is a loud thud and my car lunges forward a few meters. I tell my little one to stay belted and I get out of the car and lock all doors. I am schocked to see the damage on my car [picture attached] and there is hardly a dent on the Swaraj Mazda. I walk up to the driver and ask him calmly [in Tamil] what his hurry was. He does not say anything and I could see on his face that he knew it was his mistake. The van was full of kids and I gave him a piece of my mind - again, just stern words and no expletives. Soon people gathered and started blasting the driver.
Now, I did not want to hold up traffic and make the school kids late to school. Called up the police, explained everything and I was instructed to go to the Guindy Police Station to lodge a report. Took the van driver's licence, took a photo of the van's registration number and headed out.

Aftermath

1. Guindy Police Station
Picked up the original documents of the car, dropped my kid to school and headed staright to the police station. Surprisingly the cops were very kind and courteous and guided me through the entire process. Although I cant read and write Tamil [can speak, no issues], the traffic cop in the station helped me fill the report request form, which was in Tamil and then drafted an accident report / certificate. I now have the report which clealy details the accident, time, venue and details of the vehicles involved. Gave them copies of my vehicle documents and it was all done in 45 mins!! They told me to take this report to the workshop where I intend to claim insurance. They did not ask for any money - infact, I paid them 500 ruppes voluntarily. I must say again, they were very helpful - pleasant surprise!

2. CARS India [MASS in Adyar]
Called up my contact at the workshop and told him what had happened and that I will be there in the next 20 mins. Drove straight there and he put me through to the guy taking care of insurance issues. Filled up a couple forms and handed over the originals of the vehicle documents and the accident report from the police station. I was told I will get the formal estimate today. As a preliminary estimate, he told me it would cost about INR 35-40k for the whole repair. Sounded a bit high but then I saw that the frame behind the bumper has also deformed a little and that will require a bit of work. This is including the cost of replacing the bumper and boot door. He also said that insurance will cover about 70-75% of the cost and I will need to pay the remaining - especially the 50% cost of plastic bumper. Will get to know formal estimate today.

3. School [Pon Vidyasharm]
Decided to go to the school and tell them what a horrible driver they have and that they should be worried about the safety of their children! I reach the school around the time they winding up for the day and guess what, the van is standing there, ready to ferry the children back. However, the driver who was in involved in the morning accident, is not to be seen!
I meet the principal and narrate the whole incident and surprisingly the lady tell me that she is happy that I have approached them. Firstly, she tells me that the vans are managed by an external agent and not directly by the chool. Secondly, apparently she has had complaints eaelier about rash driving but only from students and parents of the studenrts. Now that she has received a formal complaint from a 3rd party [not connected with the school in any way] she tells me that she has the requisite ammunition to approach their Chairman. She promises action will be taken and that I should expect a response in the next couple days.

I will give them a couple days time before getting in touch with them again. I am planning to ask them to bear the cost of repair not covered by insurance. Let me know what you guys think about this.